Discharge lamp assembly



Jan. 23. 1945. B. c. WEBSTER ETAL DISCHARGE LAMP ASSEMBLY Filed June :5, 1943 WITNESSES: INVENTORS Bery'amz'n C Webster and Fay/7. Smith. I @W I ATTORN Patented 16h. 23, 1945 PAT NT orF-lcs DISCHARGE LAMP ASSEIIBLY Benjamin C. Webster, Fairfleld, Conn., and Roy M. Smith, Bethlehem, Pa", assignors to The Bryant Electric Company, Bridgeport, Conn.,

a corporation of Connecticut Application June s, 1943, Serial a... 489,512

'Our invention relates, generally, to lamps or arc discharge devices and, more particularly, to an assemblyj of a; discharge lamp of the circular or bent type, as distinguished from the straight double-ended lamps in common use, and a mounting base or holder for the lamp. Reference hereinafter to circular lamps is intended to include all such shapes as circular, oval, etc., where the tube is so bent or formed as to bring the endsin spaced facing relation.

The object of our invention, generally stated. is

' to provide a lamp assembly embodying a tubular discharge lamp of the circular type which shall be of simple and inexpensive construction, \which 'may be readily attached to an external supply circuit, /and which shall function to properly support and conduct current to the lamp regardless of manufacturing variations in the sizes of the lamps with respect to the diameter of the tubing and the distance or spacing between adjacent ends of the tubing.

A more specific object of our invention is to provide a base or holder for tubular discharge lamps of the circular type which may be used With a lamp which is not provided with the usual metal end caps or bases and'oontact pins to provides.

complete lamp assembly ready for connection to an external supply circuit.

- Another object of our invention is to provide a base or holder of the character described which shallembody the'starting switch or relay for the lamp.

modate lamps of slightly different diameters.

distance or spacing between adjacent ends.

A still further object of the invention is to pro.-

- 'vide a'bese or holder which may be'readil attached tothelamp to provide a completeamp assembly suitable for attachment to an external supply circuit. In accordance with one embodiment of our ii vention, a housing member of insulating material is provided with seats or depressions at the ends e 50 base-or holder designated generally at H oon'sti L thereof on 'its'uppen surface or face portion to receive the adjacent ends of a double-ended tubular discharge lampof the circular type which isv not provided withthe usual end caps and contact pins, but instead has lead-in wires extending through the ends of the lass envelope from the A further object of the invention is toprovide 1 a base or holder wherein the ended the lamp are attached to a housing member by means of ,an adjustable band or cover element to accommn filaments. The lamp is secured to the housing member by a -U-shaD d retaining band or metal or the like which is positioned over the ends of the lamp and bent around the lowerside edges of the 5 housing member. The housing member is preferably provided with longitudinal slots in the bottomadjacent the bottom edges thereof into which the free ends of the U-shaped member are crimped. The open slots in the face of the housing member and the width of the retaining band are such as to accommodate lamps having varying distances between their adjacent ends. The length of the band is such that lamps of varying diameters, that is, varying diameters of the tubular envelope, may

it be used. The spacebetween the ends of the lamp beneath the band is utilized to house a starting switch and condenser, the condenser being connected across the terminals of the starting switch and one lead-in wire at each end of the lamp bemg connected to the terminals of the starting switch, the other lead-in wires of the lamp being connected to the inner ends of a pair of contact pins mounted on the housing member which serve to connect-the lamp'to external supply circuit.

The nature and objects of our invention will be more readily understood from the following detaileddescription'when considered in connection with the drawing, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a view of a lamp assembly embodyso mg the principal features of our invention;

' Fig'. '2 is s. top view with reference to Figs. 1

and 4 with a portion of the retaining band 01" cover removed to show the relativefpositions of the starting switch and condenser mounted between the ends of the lamp;

Fig. 3 is a side view in elevation and partly in section taken along line III-III of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 isa sectional view taken along the line IVIVofF1g.3;. Y j 40 Fig. 5 is a view imilar to that of Fig.4 but not showing the starting switch and condenser to illustrate'how the housing member is used with a lamp having a smaller d'iametertubing than that 46 Fig. 6 is aview'showing diagrammatically the internal wiring connection of the, lamp assembly.

Referring-to Figure 1. the numeral Ill designat s a double-'endedtubular discharge lamp oi' thecircular or bent type which is attached to-a tuting a lamp assembly adapted for attachment to a supply circuitby means of a suitable socket 8! er ll comprises: nerally a housing member It" clude a starting switch l4 and the usual condenser ill for eliminating radio interference. The

housing member I2 is preferably composed of molded insulating material and is provided with a generally flat bottom surface I 6, straight or vertical side walls I! and withits upper surface so formed as to receive the ends of the lamp and also provide for mounting the starting switch and condenser. e

It will be observed that the housing member is provided on its upper surface with shallow depressions l8 at the ends thereof so shaped as to receive the ends of the lamp and also with a central recess l in'which the starting switch I 4 and condenser II are mounted. The housing member [2 is also provided with a pair of depending contact pins 2| which function to support the lamp assembly and connect it with an external source of supply. It is to be understood, of course, that additional support means in the form of clips or brackets, not shown, could be utilized if necessary to support the lamp assembly in use.

The lamp illustrated in this instance is one which is not provided with the usual metal end caps and contact pins, but instead, a pair oi leadin wires 22-23 and 2445 extend through each end of the glass envelope, as. shown in Fig. 2. The

starting switch M, which may be of any well known construction, is provided with a pair of terminal wires 26 and 21 which are connected with the lead-in wires, and 24 of the lamp as shown. The lead-in wires 23 and 25 of the lamp are connected to the contact pins 2| mounted in the housing member.

The internal circuit of the lamp assembly embodying these connections is shown better in Fig. 6 which also shows the condenser -l'connected across the terminals 26 and 21 of the starting switch. This arrangement provides the usual starting circuit for an arc discharge lamp of the fluorescent type and is adapted for'connection to the supply circuit through the usual reactor or ballast device.

ends of'the band, but also use. storage space or reservoir for the excess length of the band when -'used with a smaller diameter lamp, as clearly shown in Fig. 5.

The width of the retaining band II and the length of the recesses or seats It in the housing member are such as to readily accommodate lamps having close or wide spacing between the adjacent ends, as shown in Fig. 3. The full lines illustrate the case where a lamp has minimum spacing between its ends and the dot dash lines illustrate a lamp having maximum spacing. It will be understood, of course, that the variation in spacing referred to and the variation in tubing diameter are the usual manufacturing variations.

It will also be understood that the arrangement of the housing member and retaining band described also permits the use of lamps of different diameters, that is, the diameter of the circleof the tubing. This is achieved by the use of the open recesses orseats I! in the housing member and the adjustable retaining band.

It will be observed that the retaining band It not only serves to attach the lamp to the housing member but also functions as a cover for the starting switch and condenser mounted betweenthe ends of the lamp. In making the assembly the lead-in wires and terminals are connected as described hereinbefore and the retaining band attached to the housing member by means of a very simple crimping operation. This provides a complete lamp assembly ready for connection to the external supply circuit.

- sive lamp assembly. The lamp base or holder such as metal in order that it may function eflectively to secure the ends of the lamp to thehousing member 12. As shown best in Figs. 4 and 5, the retaining band It is of such length that the free ends 3| and 32 thereof may be bent or erimped about the lower side edges of the housing member.

In order to effectively attach the retaining band I S to the housing member 12 and provide for some adjustment to compensate for variations in the tubing diameter of the lamp, the housing member I2 is provided with a pair of slots 33 and 24 extending lengthwise thereof in its bottom surface adJacent the side edges. Fig. 4 illustrates the position of the retaining band in the case of a large diameter lamp and Fig. 5 shows the same band and housing member when used with a smaller diameter lamp. The slots 33 and 34 serve not only to provide a better attachment for the u is not only simple and inexpensive in construction, but is flexible to accommodate lamps of different sizes and having manufacturing variations.

It is also so constituted that the lamp assembly,

may be effected by means of a very simple operation.

7 While I have shown and described a practical embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that various modiflcations may be made therein without departing from the principles of the invention.

We claim as our invention: 1. A holder for use with tubular discharge lamps of the circular type comprising, a housing member provided at its ends on one side thereof with open seats to receive the adjacent ends of the lamp, said housing member having slots extending lengthwise thereof adjacent the side edges of its opposite side, and a U-shaped retaining band disposed to be attached to the housing member over the ends of the lamp by crimping the ends thereof into said slots to secure the lamp to the housing'member. 2. A holder for use with tubular lamps of the circular type comprising, a housing member formed of insulating material and having open seats in the ends on one side thereof to receive the adjacent ends of the lamp, said housing member having a depression in said side intermediate the inner ends of the open seats, a starting switch for the lamp mounted in said depression, said starting switch having terminal leads for connection to one of the terminals at each end of the lamp, a pair of contact pins mounted in the housing. member, said contact pins being disposed for connection to the other terminal lead at each end of the lamp. and a U-shaped metallic retaining band for securing the ends of the lamp to the housing member by crimping the ends of the band about the longitudinal edges of the opposite side thereof.

3. The combination of a double-ended tubular discharge lamp or the circular type having its ends in facing spaced relation, a housing member having an open seat at each end on one side thereof to receive the ends of the lamp, a pair of contact pins mounted on the housing member and extending from the opposite side thereof, and a U-shaped band member of deformable material disposed over the ends of the lamp and crimped about the longitudinal edges of said opposite ide of the housing member for securing the lamp thereto, said housing member and cooperating U-shaped band member functioning as a socket or holder for the lamp.

4. The combination of a double-ended tubular discharge lamp of the circular type having its ends in facing spaced relation, a housing member having an open seat at each end in one side thereof to receive the ends of the lamp, said housing member having a slot extending lengthwise along each edge in the opposite side thereof,a pair of contact pins mounted in the housing member and extending on the opposite side thereof, and a U-shaped metallic band positioned over the ends of the lamp and having its ends bent around the edges of said opposite side of the housing member into the lengthwise slots to securely attach the ends of the lamp to the housing member regardless of slight variations in the diameter of the lamp tube.

5. The combination with a double-ended tubular discharge lamp of the circular type having a pair of lead terminals at each end, of a housingv member having. downwardly sloping seats in one side thereof at each end on one side thereof to lamp and said lead terminals of the starting switch being connected to the other lead terminected across the lead terminals of the starting switch, and a U-shapedmetallic band positioned over the ends of the lamp with its ends crimped around the edges or the said opposite side of the housing member, thereby to securely attach the lamp to the housing member and provide a cover for the starting switch and condenser.

6. A holder for a tubular discharge lamp of the circular or bent-type having the ends of its envelope disposed in adjacent spaced apart and facing relation comprising, a housing member shaped on one side surface thereof to receive the adjacent mds of the lamp envelope, a plurality of contact pins extending from the housing for connecting the terminals of the lamp to a current source, and a U-shaped retaining band or deformable material adapted to be positioned over the adjacent ends of the lamp envelope for securing it to the housing member by crimping the free ends of the retaining band around the longitudinal edges of the opposite side surface of the housing member, aid retaining band being of'such width as to accommodate lamps with varying spacing between the adjacent ends of their envelopes and of such length as to provide for securing lamp envelopes or varying diameter to the housing member.

7. The combination with a, double-ended tubular discharge lamp of the circular type having a pair of filament lead-in wires extending from each end thereof, of a holder for the lamp comprising a housing member shaped on one ide surface to receive the adjacent ends of the lamp, said housing member having a longitudinal slot adjacent each side edge in the opposite side surface thereof, a plurality 0! contact pins extending from the housing member, a U-shaped metallic retaining band positioned over the endsof the lamp and having its free ends bent around the housing member into said longitudinal slots to secure the lamp thereto, means connecting the contact pins of the housing member to one of the filament lead-in wires at each end of the lamp,

,and'a starting switch mounted on the housing member between the. adjacent ends of the lamp, said startin switch having terminal wires connected to the other filament lead-in wires of the.

lamp. I p

BENJAMIN c. ROY M. SMITH. 

